French President Emmanuel Macron could set out plans for a new nationwide lockdown later today after a huge spike in Covid-19 deaths.
Mr Macron is due to make a televised address at 8pm when it is widely reported that a new month-long national lockdown could be imposed.
Other possibilities include a host of local measures, a weekend lockdown and tighter curfews from 7pm extended.
Two-thirds of the French population are currently under a nighttime curfew but the PM is reported to have told union bosses these were not enough to control the surge in infections, which on Sunday hit a record of over 52,000 cases.
Mr Macron and the Government are in favour of imposing a four-week national lockdown from midnight on Thursday, but with primary schools and public services to remain open, according to French station BFM TV.
French President Emmanuel Macron may impose new lockdown rules tonight (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Bars and restaurants are expected to be closed completely with other reports also suggesting secondary schools be closed.
Mr Macron's office would not confirm new lockdown measures would be imposed ahead of the briefing.
France has had a big spike in the number of daily deaths from Covid-19, recording an additional 523 deaths in 24 hours this evening, the highest daily death total since April.
"We knew there would be a second wave, but we have been shocked by the brutality of what's happened in the last 10 to 15 days," said Jean-François Delfraissy, President of the Scientific Council set up to advise the government on their Covid-19 policies.
Speaking on a visit to a hospital in the Paris region last week, Mr Macron said scientists were telling him that they believed the virus would be present "at best until next summer".
